Friends? Friends
by imbxdateverything
Summary: Malcolm gets hurt saving JT because I need them to be besties


The team figured out that the killer must have had a personal connection with the victims. They searched for someone -_most likely male_\- from the victims' kin and after an hour or so they found their probable suspect.

JT and Bright were sitting in JT's car which was parked opposite of the place that was the suspect's property, according to his file.

JT was looking across the street, every once in a while checking the time on his phone. 11:34 PM. He and Bright had been waiting outside the suspect's house since early noon and JT was starting to get tired.

Bright, on the other hand, couldn't be more lively.

"-I bet it's something really simple; like John or Jack."

JT's answer consisted of a glance at where Bright was in the passenger seat and an apathetic grunt.

"Or maybe even-"

"Bright!" JT called, "Can you be quiet for just a moment?"

Malcolm looked at JT with a grin, "I will, once I find the right name."

"Ugh." Was all JT had to say to that. He turned his head from Bright to his phone to check the time one more time. 11:52 PM. He sighed. _This is gonna be a long night_. JT looked at the house once more and without realizing he'd started lowering his head as he felt his eyelids get heavy. As soon as the detective started dozing off, he heard the _slam_ of a car door being closed and cursed himself for staying awake for a whole day before.

While JT was on the brink of falling asleep, Bright was listing all the names he could think of that start with the letter J and looking intently at the house. When he reached Judah he saw the house door open. Before he could blink, Malcolm was out of the car, heading straight for the house. He faintly heard a car door being closed; testifying to the fact that JT was following close behind.

Once Bright was close enough to the door, he could see that the man walking out of it was indeed the man they were looking for. So, without a second thought, he went after him.

In JT's opinion, that was a _very_ stupid idea.

"Bright." He growled just between a whispering and 'I'm not asking' kind of way. Of course, Malcolm ignored him.

"Patrick Malone?" Bright addressed the suspect.

Patrick Malone, the suspect, turned around to look at Bright -who was a tad bit too close to him for comfort- and JT -who was a footstep behind Bright- and as he did so he took a precarious step back.

"Who wants to know?"

Malcolm reached the suspect first, then a second later JT closed in.

"NYPD." Said JT, showing his badge, "We need to talk."

"About what?"

"The murder of your father and brother." Bright provided. "See, Patrick, we know you did it and why you did it."

"So why don't you come quietly and save us all a lot of time."

He didn't.

Since JT was an inch closer to the suspect than Bright, he was the one to get the force of Patrick's sudden lash out. The killer punched JT hard enough to leave a cut on his temple bleeding freely. Patrick took advantage of the moment that JT was dazed and took the detective's gun and aimed it at him.

"Hey, now." Bright tried to reason with him, "Look, you already have charges against two people, do you also want to go in for killing a cop?"

The suspect didn't answer, he only put his finger on the gun's trigger. Ready to shoot.

Everything that happened after seemed to be in slow motion for JT. The clicking of the trigger as it was shot. A weight pushing him out the bullet's way and onto the floor. Bright falling to the ground next to him and staying there. The killer throwing the gun on the floor, running off and leaving JT blinking as he tried to realize what happened.

JT looked at the figure lying next to him and saw Bright putting pressure on his abdomen. His hands were covered in a deep scarlet red colour that was pouring out of him. As soon as he saw Malcolm, JT got out of his shock and rushed to him -thing that was kind of extreme with Bright being right next to him and all- and dropped right next to him, calling an ambulance.

Bright who was aware up to that moment, let his hands fall limply at his sides from where they were.

"Bright?" JT tried to rouse Malcolm, "Bright! Stay with me." He called once more.

When JT saw that had no effect, he called out once again but firmer; "Malcolm!"

That time Malcolm did stir. He opened his eyes and looked at JT who was towering above him, putting pressure on his injury.

"You saved me, kid." JT said this the same moment as his mind also realized what had happened earlier.

"JT?" Bright made an attempt to speak but it came out as nothing louder than a whisper.

"The ambulance is on its way. Don't worry, kid. You're gonna be fine."

"Hurts" Malcolm said in a gruff manner.

"I know, kid. I know. You just have to hang on for a little while longer." JT assured him.

Bright coughed a wet cough that stained his lips red with blood.

JT could do nothing but keep reassuring Bright that he was gonna be okay while Malcolm would once in a while mumble something like 'can't sleep' and 'hurts'.

Just then the ambulance's siren could be heard, "You hear that, man? Help is almost here." To which Bright simply hummed.

"You're going to be okay." JT kept repeating to Malcolm like a mantra. Because if he says it enough times, it'll come to be true, right? _Right?_

As soon as the ambulance had arrived, two paramedics came out and put gauze twice on Malcolm's wound. Once to soak some of the blood and once to staunch the bleeding just for the time to get to the hospital. They secured Bright on a stretcher and put him in the back of the ambulance.

All of this time, JT was hovering above the paramedics and when they went to get Bright to the hospital and the EMTs asked if he would ride with them he didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.

* * *

At the hospital, JT waited anxiously for the doctor to come out and tell him that Bright was okay. That he didn't die because of him.

While waiting, a nurse got JT to begrudgingly let her clean and bandage his cut -which he had forgotten about before but it decided to come back with a _stinging_ revenge- and once that was done he went back to the waiting room.

When he saw Bright's doctor, he practically leaped off of his seat. Once he got the news he was hoping for, JT felt all of his muscles relax as he made his way to Malcolm's room.

"Hey, kid." JT was instantly met with a light-up-your-world smile and a weak 'hey'. "Told ya you'd be fine, didn't I?"

Malcolm silently laughed, "Yeah, you did." and coughed. "It didn't seem so plausible out there."

"So what you are saying now is that you thought that I, your friend, would lie to you about something like this?" JT made a point out of speaking with his hands along with his mouth.

Bright stared at him for a moment before timidly saying "Friend?"

"Yeah! You thought we weren't friends?

"I-" Malcolm was lost because, _yes_, he did think that they weren't friends. He thought they were simple colleagues despite his attempts to strike a friendship with the detective.

Bright, after gathering his thoughts, smiled.

Without a word, JT pulled a plastic chair next to Bright's bed and sat next to him. There was a moment of comfortable silence between them that seemed almost tranquil.

Then Bright spoke again; "Is it Johan? You look like a Johan-"

JT rolled his eyes in relief as Bright once again started sprouting possible names. Yeah, he'll be alright, JT thought.


End file.
